From: Interfaith Working Group
Subject: IWG Raleigh Church/State, Religious Liberty letter
Date: Wed, 10 Jun 1998 23:47:09 -0400 (EDT)
June 9, 1998
News and Observer
Box 191
Raleigh, NC 27602
Dear Editors:
We would be very distressed if we lived in a country
without freedom of association, freedom of the press,
and the free exercise of religion. Fortunately,
Brook Ford [letter, June 7] is merely exercising
another first amendment right (free speech) and
neither he nor anyone else has the legal authority to
determine what religious organizations may teach,
what religious symbols people may wear, whether the
parents of sexual minorities are allowed to peaceably
assemble, and whether a newspaper is permitted to
report events, activities, or styles of dress that he
disagrees with.
If we disqualify people in one group from wearing a
particular religious symbol, where do we stop?
Sexual orientation is but one issue that people of
faith disagree about; those houses of worship that
support and welcome sexual minorities have reasons
for doing so that are far deeper than concern for
public opinion. People have honest differences of
opinion over interpretation of scripture, which
scriptures to emphasize, the importance of scripture,
and the relative weight of moral concerns such as
conformity, tradition, love, respect, and justice.
Fortunately, regardless of what we decide in such
debates, we live in a country with a constitution
that gives equal legal protection to all of our
religious beliefs and practices.
Sincerely,
Barbara Purdom Christopher Purdom
Interfaith Working Group Coordinators
The above letter went out on IWG letterhead listing 15 congregations and
organizations and 58 clergy from 15 religious traditions. If you are in
the general Philadelphia area and represent a congregation or religious
organization or are clergy, let us know if you want to be added - all faiths
are welcome. We will also be happy to help start similar organizations in
other areas.
--
Interfaith Working Group Religious organizations, congregations
iwg@libertynet.org and clergy supporting gay rights,
http://www.libertynet.org/iwg/ reproductive freedom, and the
215-235-3050 separation of church and state.